Southern Nevada is a vast, arid region that is mostly empty, and would be almost entirely empty were it not for the enormous presence of Las Vegas in the extreme southern tip. In fact, one of its largest counties, Nye, dwindled to a mere 3,000 people before the casinos came; now, the population has boomed—relatively speaking.

If any city in the United States "needs no introduction," surely it's Las Vegas: loud, kitschy, tacky, rich, sophisticated, and utterly one-of-a-kind. But it's more than a resort city and a show unto itself: Las Vegas is also quite a large city, with a diverse population and economy, and the center of a region that ranges from small towns and large ranches to utterly empty wilderness.

The city itself has suffered from the recession of 2007-2009, as disposable income shrank and fewer Americans patronized its gaming and hospitality industries. As a result, the city has made a concerted effort to attract new companies to the area, including light industry and banking. But the top attraction remains the glitz: there are almost a dozen casinos within the city limits, and more than 140,000 hotel rooms.

Southern Nevada also serves as a gateway to several popular tourist attractions, such as Death Valley National Park (which lies partly in Nevada) and the Lake Mead National Recreational Area. Though Lake Mead is entirely surrounded by desert, it is in fact three distinct desert ecosystems—the Mojave, the Sonoran, and the Great Basin deserts—and the area is a biologically diverse region with many unique species.